By KJS
Disclaimer: Labyrinth, Sarah, and Jareth do not belong to me. They belong to the official Henson people, and I could never hope to make a cent off my works.
"She falls apart by herself
No one's there to talk or understand
Feels the sting, dries her eyes
Finds herself opens the door and sighs
People see right through you
Everyone who knew you well
Falls apart, might as well
Day is long and nothing is wasted
Runaway, runaway
Wanna hold on to you but you're going away
Runaway, runaway
Wanna hold you tomorrow but you're leaving today"
~"Falls Apart" by Sugar Ray
Chapter 1
"...And if he had not introduced himself, I would have sworn that he were the Lord of Owls, or an ancient god incarnated. A wild blond mane whipped about his face, his skin pale as moonlight. It was his eyes that startled me, they glittered like... Glittered like.... Arg!" Sarah growled in frustration, throwing her pencil across the room. A dark grin passed over her face at it hit the wall with a 'smack!'. "I'll never be able to finish this, how can I describe it?"
Even as she spoke her eyes began to stray towards the mirror, where a similar dark-haired girl stared back. That's where they could come from, the words, the memories. That's where her friends had found her, a reflection that stared back, one that hadn't seemed quite her own since she had returned. "How can I write about being there? And the Goblin King..."
"Sarah?" There was a slight knock on the door, and her father's head poked into the room. "You okay? I though I heard you talking."
"I'm fine dad!" She gave a slight scowl, retreating to the piles of books on her bed. "Just trying to sort out some things on my homework. Thinking out loud helps. So if you don't mind...?" She let the statement hang, and her father obediently shut the door, leaving Sarah to her thoughts. "Good." Mumbling slightly, she absently began to sort out the books. A few quiet moments were spent this way, till she came upon the familiar, worn red cover. Her index finger idly traced over the lettering, before she realized what she was carressing and drew her hand back. It was her eyes that showed her fear: something behind them, a glimmer of pure dread, of haunting memories.
"I swore I kept you on the bookshelf, now what are you doing here?" Sarah hid the slightest of trembles that nearly manifested itself her voice. Slowly, she reached down to lift 'The Labyrinth', eyes never straying. Okay, she hid it *behind* her bookshelf. "Why don't I put you back there?" Her voice dropped, and a sigh followed as she flopped back on the bed, ignoring the books whose corners were sticking into her back. Just for a moment everything was peaceful, and she let her eyes close, to relax and allow everything to slip away.
And that it did. The moment her eyes closed, she could smell it. The faintest scent of lilac, of fresh grass and peaches. She tried to open her eyes, but they refused to respond. Music invaded her ears, and she desperately clenched her teeth. She couldn't let this happen, not again, not again.... She was swaying now, the sound dragging her soul in it's patterns, weaving among the crowds, she could *feel* them, and she wasn't alone, she wasn't home anymore...
"NO!" A shriek worked its way loose, and Sarah shot up out of bed, clawing at her face. Her eyes had to open, they had to, just to make it stop... And suddenly it was over. Sarah blinked her hazel eyes, peering about with a mix of dread and wonder. She was in her room, it was fine.
"Sarah!" Her father was once more knocking on the door. "Are you alright?"
"I'm..." Sarah found she couldn't get the sound out of her throat, her whole body clenched with fear. Taking in a short breath, she managed to force the words out. "I'm fine. There was... a spider? Yeah, it was just a spider, on my bookshelf." She quickly got off her bed, ignoring her father's reassurance and his retreating footsteps.
She began to whisper to herself, panicked as she paced across the room. Occasionally, she'd stop, and pick up a stuffed toy or book, stare at it for a moment, before dropping it and continuing. Slowly, her words fit the rhythm of her steps.
"I mean, why does this have to happen? I try to forget some of it, but it's still there... I can't even close my eyes without remembering. I want to remember Hoggle and my friends, but why do they keep coming? I mean, normal people can open their eyes..." And a bitter laugh suddenly filled her room. "Well, normal people haven't met a Goblin King and been in the Labyrinth. I think." Normal, normal, how was she to know what it meant? "But I don't want this, I can't I can't I can't..."
Silent tears began to stream down her face, sobs rising in her throat. Falling to the floor, she curled up into a ball, able to rock herself until she could once more take a deep breath without a fresh wave of tears making tracks down her face.
Even though she fell into an exhausted sleep, the dreaded memories did not come, and Sarah's slumber was without dreams.
Chapter 2
"Sarah..."
'Not again.' Immediately, Sarah's fingernails began to dig into her arms, biting her lip as she hoped the slight pain might drive the hauntings away. Panic made its way into her expression, causing a few odd stares from the students sitting near her. Her eyes darted around her. They were watching her, eyes upon her, all around. Their penetrating stares were grinding her, like his eyes could do to her soul....
"Are you okay?" A tap on her shoulder made her jump, and Sarah snapped her head around, managing not to injure herself in her desk. It was Amber, the girl behind her. Even the short girl's muddy blue eyes seemed sinister, and Sarah found herself trying to retreat, before realizing it and taking a short, ragged breath.
"I'm fine. Just... feeling a little ill." She allowed a half-smile, but even that seemed nervous, desperate. "I haven't been sleeping much."
"Sarah... You cannot leave us." The smooth voice was right behind her now, a warm breath against her ear. It was *him*.
"I can and I will!" The words came out as a desperate shout, dropping into a whisper. Everyone was staring at her now. Sarah couldn't see them really: only a blur around her. There were faces, faces everywhere, all fused together, but their eyes followed her, their eyes all accusing her, haunting her, mocking with silent laughter in them. "I'm.. I'm just... just n-not feeling to well, okay?" She nearly stumbled from her chair, backing up and almost tripping. Even the teacher turned to her, saying something that she couldn't hear. Sarah had to get out, had to leave *now*.
"I'm gonna be sick!" Desperately, she fled from the room, footsteps echoing as she tore down the hallway. Occasionally a person would stop and stare at her, some even calling out. But they were all invisible to Sarah, wraiths shouting inaudible words. They were all creatures from another world, creatures trapped to the ground. Her heart pounded in her chest, and it was all she could do from collapsing and screaming, wanting to rip her own lungs out. He was still there, following her.
"Why can't you leave me alone?!" Sarah's plea left her lips as only a half-whisper, her throat catching on the words. "Just... LEAVE ME!"
She collapsed, finally, in a corner of the girls' restroom, the pent-up tears rolling down her cheeks. Her whispering continued, a faint attempt to hold onto herself as he now seemed to be all around her. The sensations, the crackling of magic, the half-remembered dreams... Each movement made more seep out of oblivion into her mind, and acted like a punch. Bruised in her soul, Sarah could only pray for the end. And finally, the voices and feelings trickled away, leaving her in silence. Finally, she was truly alone. Shakily getting to her feet, Sarah Williams stumbled home, every sound around her making her jump. She knew she would get little sleep that night, and the next, until she could finally get the Labyrinth out of her mind, or until the hauntings ended. If only she knew why they plagued her...
Chapter 3
"Another night. Another night. Why won't these dreams stop?" Sarah was mumbling to herself again, a habit she had picked up in the two weeks since the incessant hauntings had begun. 'Why? Can't I be alone, can't I be free, can't I just *forget* and be who I am, it all just needs to go *away*!' Sarah's thoughts were her constant companions, her only shred of defense. It was her only way of cutting through the sensations that surrounded her, the cacophony of voices that raged in her mind. When she closed her eyes and let sleep drift over her, at first only the welcoming emptiness, the blackness of the restful slumber, would blanket her. Then they would begin to tear at it, rip away the serenity until she whimpered and cried out in her sleep, trapped in a nightmare taking too long to awaken from. Sometimes it would start out so pleasant, a drifting memory of a ball, spinning away like spider's silk in the wind. That was when the shadows would fall, terror gripping her. Sometimes it was formless, just dread that seemed to seep into her. Other times it would come as death in the form of the Cleaners, or a pair of haunting eyes as cruel laughter began to emit from the very walls. But never could a dream end peacefully.
Just as nights before, Sarah stared up at the ceiling, blankly watching in a vain attempt to remain awake as her stereo blasted music through her room. Midnight passed and still she was awake. About an hour later though, her eyelids began to droop and the fuzziness of sleep began to settle over her. That was when it returned.
The hard rock beat of her stereo faded out, replaced by soft, classical strands. At first she didn't know the difference, the stress of the weeks building and building upon her soul. The moment she realized the shift, she wanted to scream. Sarah just wanted to cry once more, but all her tears had been shed. To yell, to rip at *something*, it was all she wanted. But she couldn't do anything, and so she just laid in her misery, idly wondering if there was a knife within reach to end the pain. Just anything to cut it short.
She couldn't tell if it was a moment later or an hour, but somewhere along the way, as the shadows that danced in the corner of the room sang the faint music that seemed to have been held in the very air of the Labyrinth, and the thick scent of the exotic plants surrounded her along with the bleak terror that had rested somewhere within during the adventure. Then, something inside Sarah snapped. There was no apparent change in the way she looked, but something inside just stopped listening. The terror, the rage... It seeped away, the fire in her eyes dimming. Dully, she sat up, propping herself against her wall. The shadows no longer frightened her, they were merely there. The sounds no longer pulled at the ache in her heart, the faint wish for another touch of such magic in the mundane world was snuffed out, just for a moment. The moment she needed.
Sarah had one moment of peace. Glorious, sweet peace. Emotionless, she let her eyes close for a second, drinking the serenity that had settled over her. She was falling apart, and she knew it... Or perhaps the it was the world around her that was collapsing, that was going crazy. It was tearing at the seams, and only she could see it, only she could feel it. But for now, she couldn't think about that. She could be at peace.
That was when his voice came. The one thing that made her heart flip for a moment, her breathing turn shallow. His voice echoed through her room. It started softly, a ripple of melted chocolate to her mind, but the sensual, low sound began to drift even louder and her heart tugged at her to follow.
Even Sarah had trouble disobeying the Goblin King, her weakened physical state letting her falter. And it was the voice that rang in her head, the musical tones that could drive any remaining shred of sanity from a person.
"Sarah, you don't wish to remember?" The words tickled at her ear, the warm breath against her. Every beat of her heart seemed like an incessantly loud pounding, her pulse quickening in both fascination and fear. She began to melt into the words, giving in with the softest of whimpers.
"I want to remember.... I just don't want it to hurt!" Sarah wasn't sure if she had actually spoken for a moment, or just thought that she had whispered the words. Silence reigned for another moment; that was when Sarah began to laugh. A full-throated laugh, a lark's call after the storm. "I... I see it. Jareth...?" The question was more comfortable now, a plea of a child who wanted to be reassured that the monsters under her bed had finally been vanquished.
"Sarah... It'll be okay. You know your mind is forever with us. You know what you can do... What you must do." The words of the Goblin King went almost unheard, as Sarah was already stumbling to her feet. Padding down the hallway, in just her sweatpants and a ratty gray t-shirt, the young woman couldn't keep the smile off her face. If her parents heard her? Didn't matter... She was a dreamer. She was in Jareth's care. She was going to be free. Still, lingering doubts gnawed at her, and for a moment she paused. And listened. The creak of her dog wandering in the garage, the soft sounds of the house settling... That was real. Was what she heard also a part of reality? And did it even matter?
A numb type of silence remained with her, but somewhere, the faint scent of peaches taunted her. The mocking laughter was still like a whisper in her ears, and still grated her, almost painfully. It was the laughter that hurt most... But as she pushed the front door open, it settled down into comfortable quietness.
***********
It was about an hour's drive for Sarah, the empty streets offering some relief. Time to think, time to relax. Time to forget, forget her doubts, her hopes. They all swirled away, peace replacing the torrent that had raged within for the past weeks. A sleepy kind of peace. It was nice.
Leaving the car behind, she breathed in the early morning air. The dew on the grass tickled at her feet, and she trod slowly through it. The sight before her was normally one to inspire awe, and she took a moment to appreciate it before moving on. That was when the doubts began, a fierce final struggle that she had to destroy, and managed to shove down. Once again, only the apathetic stare was on her face, faintest hints of a child's soul hiding in her eyes.
She could feel it, the memories were in the air. Memoires of adventures, recollections of the torment after. All around her they danced, echoing laughter from unearthly realms. Mocking laughter. Oddly, she felt herself distancing from her body, even as it strode slowly to the edge. She stared impassively at the form, a strange sense of serenity about her. Finally, the laughter did not anger her: it was merely there. Her sense of touch fluttered, and Sarah felt it envelope her, a ghostly cloak of phantasmal owl feathers, locking out the cold from the whipping seaside breezes. Warm. Safe. Something was behind her, arms wrapped around her and protecting her just as that which robed her.
"Jareth...," Sarah murmured softly, nearly inaudible with the cry of gulls around them. "They told me you weren't real, that the Labyrinth wasn't real..." With a child's innocence contorting her face to utter worry, she glanced up towards the figure behind her. "It... it wasn't true, was it?" Questioning, her voice became faint, as her eyes were drawn to the sight before her. At the edge of the cliff, the ocean could be seen, shimmering, the sun's growing light dancing across the waves.
"Of course not," A warm breath whispered in her ear, the musical voice of the Goblin King. "I'm here, aren't I?"
"And now..." Sarah slowly spoke, nearly unable to get the words past her throat. "Is it time?"
"It's time." That was all she needed to hear from Jareth. Feeling the warm embrace leave her, Sarah took a step forward. Then another. Inching closer to where she could smell the salty sea, winds nearly carrying her off.
She though for a moment that the phantom cloak had vanished, but soon she realized it was a part of her. The feathers merged with her, their faint outlines now barely visible as tears began to stream down her cheeks.
"Time..." A shaky breath, and the dreamer raised her arms, reaching them out as far as she could. Wings, if not there then on her heart. Time, for soon she could be free, be with him and the land of magic that haunted her, its wild songs tearing at her, cleansing her...
It was only another step now, and all seemed to suspend for a moment. One fire blazed in the surreal moment: the smile of pure ecstasy spreading across Sarah's face. Air surrounded her, the sudden shock of it making her eyes snap open. But the joyful expression remained.
Time to fly.
~Fin